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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.